NEW DELHI: While farmers’ ‘jathebandis’ and unions on Sunday outlined details of the December 8 ‘Bharat bandh’, the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh announced its opposition to it saying that “such demonstrations always prove detrimental to the nation and farmers”.
The Sangh affiliate, which has been supporting the farmers in their fight against the three central acts, said now that the Narendra Modi government has agreed to amendments, farmers’ unions should take what is being offered to them “gracefully and respectfully”.
“What is the ‘aqalmandi’ (sensibility) in rejecting what is being offered in a respectful manner…they should have taken the offer,” BKS general secretary Badri Narayan Chaudhary said.
According to BKS leaders, while the demonstration is going on in a peaceful manner, “it is evident that certain anti-social elements, external forces and some political parties are manoeuvring the demonstration towards acrimony”.
Stating that they “feared the incidence of Mandsaur of 2017 is not be repeated in which six farmers were shot dead and heavy casualties to property and life was reported”, Choudhary said “leaders of that movement eventually became legislatures and ministers in the government while families of martyrs were ruined and living in vagaries. We asked Punjab ‘jathebandis’ and unions to postpone Bharat bandh but they declined saying our programme is decided. It is obvious that some other forces are calling the shots”.
He also questioned “why Punjab farmers are demanding to repeal the central laws when the Punjab government has already nullified the central laws and restored the condition prior to June 5”.
Organising secretary Dinesh Kulkarni said the ongoing agitation on Delhi borders “is no longer a farmers movement and various other elements, including political, have crept in it”.
“Although fifth round of talks could not bring any breakthrough, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar showed the willingness to bring amendments in the existing laws and further both the parties agreed to continue the dialogue on December 9, still they are holding ‘Bharat bandh’,” he said.
“The BKS has been raising objections against the central laws from the day the BJP-led government announced the three ordinances. We are with the farmers on this issue but now the attempt is being made to digress it. However, our aim is not to trouble the nation, the common people”, Kulkarni said.
Pointing to the “lack of consistency and continuity” in unions’ stance, he said, “In 2008, when there was a big difference in the prices of wheat in international and domestic markets, Punjab unions under Sharad Joshi demanded that private players be allowed to purchase from farmers.”
Chaudhary said the BKS has already demanded that the three Bills “should not be repealed but implemented with amendments on legal status to MSP (guaranteed payment), separate agriculture courts and central and state registration of traders” and it stands by it.
“Farmers growing different agricultural crops will be benefited by these laws, therefore we cannot support the protest against repealing them. Such demonstrations always prove detrimental to the nation and to the farmers,” he said, appealing to its members “to be attentive and alert fellow citizens so that any untoward incidence is avoided”.